Sonya

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update!

Sonya's home dedication took place on April 10th, 2019 when she received the keys to her new house! She looks forward to making the house a home and can't wait to be able to enjoy having enough space for Jacoby to run around and play.

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Sonya is a Gainesville native and mother of two – an adult daughter and a toddler-aged son.

Sonya works as a unit assistant at the Pediatrics Congenital Heart Unit ICU at University of Florida’s Health Shands Hospital, which is where she met her youngest adopted son Jacoby. Jacoby was diagnosed with a serious, life-threatening heart condition when he was born and was brought into Shands Hospital for an open-heart transplant when he was four months old. Jacoby was oftentimes accompanied by nurses but didn’t have much family by his side.

“God put me on the unit when He did, and I always knew he [Jacoby] would be in my life, but I never knew at what capacity,” Diggs said.

Sonya’s passion is children, which is why she dedicates her time by giving back to the youth in the Gainesville community. She helps with teen talks, gospel concerts, and dance and choir rehearsals for the kids at her church. At the Florida Sun, a traveling basketball organization, she attends the practices and assists with managing the children a few times each week.

Currently, Sonya and Jacoby live in a converted garage in her mother's house. Their room is filled from floor to ceiling with medications and medical supplies needed for Jacoby's condition, and they have no space to move around or store their other possessions. Sonya’s new Habitat home will provide a safe space for her, Jacoby and her daughter Tiara who is studying criminal justice at Southeastern University. Sonya is looking forward to having her first family dinner in her new home with a lot of soul food and her kid’s favorite – banana pudding.

“I love to cook for my family and have family dinners when everyone can get home,” Diggs said.